"Is There a Ghost" is the first single taken from Band of Horses' second album Cease to Begin, released on August 28, 2007. It reached #34 on the US Alternative Songs chart and #30 in Denmark, making it the band's most successful song until "Casual Party" reached #27 on the Alternative Songs chart in 2016.
Background The lyrics consist of two lines repeated throughout the song: "I could sleep, I could sleep. When I lived alone, Is there a ghost in my house?" According to the student newspaper The Reflector, "A simple finger-picked melody morphs into a strum-and-drum tour de force; there are layers of guitars, but not too much distortion.Gregory, Nathan The Reflector - October 11, 2007
In general Cease to Begin has a more Southern rock, less indie sound than Band of Horses' debut album Everything All the Time. However, "Is There a Ghost" has a strong indie feel, in contrast to the rest of Cease to Begin.Shea, Erin "Cease to Begin is introspective followup for Band of Horses" The Good 5 Cent Cigar - October 18, 2007Grandy, Eric "Album Reviews" The Stranger - October 3, 2007
Reception Critical response to the single was generally very favourable. An article in The Scotsman singled out "Is There a Ghost" as one of the main reasons that Band of Horses have received significant international attention,Pollock, David "Colts on the trail" The Scotsman - February 16, 2008 however one reviewer disliked the "polished" sound of Cease to Begin, saying that, "In the switch from low to high fidelity, Band of Horses sacrifices a good deal of angst and quality."Herrmann, Zachary "Beginning of the end" The Diamondback - October 8, 2007 Others were more enthusiastic, with one reviewer claiming, "'Is There A Ghost' is the catchiest song with only 14 words to its credit since Pearl Jam's 'Smile'."Hagen, Kelly "My top 10 album picks for the year" Bismarck Tribune - December 27, 2007
Rolling Stone ranked "Is There a Ghost" at #93 in its 100 best songs of 2007.Castina, "Rolling Stone Magazine The 100 Best Songs Of 2007" Pop Crunch - December 13, 2007
The music video for "Is There a Ghost," directed by Brian Savelson, won the 2008 MVPA Award in the Alternative category for Best Direction.
This song is featured in the racing game Forza Horizon 6, in the Sub Pop Records radio station.
Chart performance Chart (2007) Peakposition
Personnel Ben Bridwell - Lead vocals, guitar Rob Hampton - Guitar, bass guitar Creighton Barrett - Drums Ryan Monroe - Keyboards
References
External links Music Video for Is There a Ghost on Youtube